What I Didn't Want For Christmas
by missprint
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, and Shikamaru and Ino are stuck in a rather desolate, quite freezing bungalow, with only each other, a few packets of biscuits and a mouldy cauliflower for company. Ino is not happy. ShikaIno. Christmasfic. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Well, it suddenly occured to me that I've had this account for about 9 months and hadn't actually written anything. 9 months! You could have a baby in that time! So, think of this as my baby fic. It was intended as a one shot, and then it started to get really, really long, so I split it up. It will probably be about 3 or 4 chapters long, and hopefully it will be finished before the Christmas season is over. Please review and be nice, as this is my first fic. Enjoy!

**What I Didn't Want For Christmas**

Ino stared out of the exiguous window, steamed up with her own warm breath, with a look of utter boredom on her face. One hand was propping up her chin, and the other's fingers were drumming on the window sill. She let out another long, overdramatic sigh, despite the knowledge that it wouldn't achieve anything. It was Christmas Eve, and instead of being curled up in the safety of her satin duvet covers, images of sugarplums dancing in her head, she was stuck in a rather desolate bungalow, waiting impatiently for the snowstorm outside to cease.

Why was Ino in this far from enjoyable situation? She had asked herself that too, and then reminded herself, almost scolding herself, that when Tsunade asked for someone to do a mission, it wasn't a question; it was an order, and Ino and Shikamaru had been the two so unfortunate as to be selected for this particular mission. The mission itself had been fairly simple on paper; travel to the Land of Snow, fetch a newly discovered antidote, return to Konoha so it could be tested; after all, Tsunade was an expert on medicine. The mission was supposed to take no more than a month, and it had been guaranteed that the two chuunin would arrive back home for Christmas. However, when Shikamaru and Ino arrived at the laboratory in the Land of Snow, the antidote appeared to have gone missing, and took four days to locate it. After being located, it took a further four days for Shikamaru and Ino to head out due to the heinous blizzards. As if that wasn't enough, the pair had finally set off, only to be greeted by yet another blizzard, and were forced to break into the nearest unoccupied residence they could find until the said blizzard settled down. And it was taking its bloody time.

"What's the weather like," a slow drawl came from the other side of the room, "Still snowing?"

Ino rolled her eyes before answering, rather sharply, "What do you think genius? Of course it's still bloody snowing. We're in the _Land_ of bloody Snow, what did you expect, fucking sunshine?"

"Woah," Shikamaru said, raising both eyebrows, "Who pissed in your coffee?"

"No one actually, because I haven't _got_ a coffee _for_ anyone to piss _in_," Ino sighed and let a few seconds of silence pass before speaking again, this time in a slightly softer tone, "Look, I'm sorry okay? Believe me, the moment it stops snowing I'll let you know."

"No, don't worry about it," Shikamaru replied, characteristically monotone, "I don't think either of us pictured spending Christmas Eve like this."

Ino smiled, "Yeah, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"Want me to take over the window for a bit?"

"Nah, it's alright," Ino replied, declining his offer, "Don't think me completely mad for saying this, but I actually quite like the snow. Watching it, I mean," her eyes traced the frantic movement of the snowflakes outside, "I wish we got it in Konoha in winter. I've never had a white Christmas."

Ino remembered reading in a book somewhere, snowflakes described as "dancing in the wind". Well, she thought, if these snowflakes were dancing, it certainly wasn't a dainty waltz; more like some kind of erratic tango. The shards of snow thrashed about violently, although not quite as violently as they had been a few minutes ago. Maybe Ino was imagining things, but the blizzard _seemed_ to be calming down.

"Hey, Shika," Ino called, "I think it's stopping."

She heard the scraping on a chair on the hardwood floors, and hurried footsteps behind her, and soon enough a head was above her right shoulder, peering through the vapour covered window. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes for a second, before opening them widely in surprise.

"_Finally!_" he exclaimed, with the most enthusiasm Ino had heard him emit in the past year, "Right, come on, let's get out of here before another one starts up."

Ino didn't need to be told twice; without hesitation the two jumped to their feet and headed to the old wooden door of the bungalow. Ino turned to look back at the interior of their shelter and blew on her hands furiously, trying to warm them up, thanking God that she didn't have to stay in the building any longer.

Soon, she would be on her way home; home, where there were plenty of blankets; home, where coffee was only a few minutes away; home, where a pair of brand new boots were waiting patiently for her to unwrap them, sitting amongst many other gifts under a glistening tree.

"Err, Ino," Ino turned around to see Shikamaru looking more than a little uneasy, and talking rather slowly, as if selecting his words carefully, "I don't mean to alarm you, but I think the lock _might be, sort of_...frozen."

A moment of silence passed whilst Ino pondered her choice of words for the response she was about to give. Eventually, she settled on two that she felt summed up the situation quite well;  
"Oh, fuck."

_Thud._

_Thud._

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Ino, I don't think that's going to help."

Ino, who had been repeatedly throwing herself at the bungalow's door in a vain attempt to smash it open, took no notice of his remark, stepping back and ramming the door once more.

_Thud!_

"Ino!"

"No!," she exclaimed, glaring at the door, "I'm a Shinobi! I'm not going to be beaten by a door!"

With that, she delivered a swift kick to the door, which unsurprisingly had no effect. Ino clutched her right foot with both hands, "Oww."

"Look, Ino," Shikamaru said, watching Ino collapse dramatically to the floor, "It's no use, we're just going to have to wait."

Ino whimpered, sliding off her boot and massaging her injured foot, "Don't you have a plan?"

"What?"

"You know, a plan. You're the strategist, you always have a plan," Ino informed him, "Like climbing out the window, or busting open the door with exploding notes."

"Firstly," Shikamaru told her, "Even _you_ couldn't fit through that mouse hole of a window. And secondly, this bungalow isn't exactly spacious. If we were to "bust open the door with exploding notes", we'd get scalded in the process."

Ino held up her hands, looking offended, "Hey, they were only suggestions! Like I said, you're the strategist. You think of something."

There was a pause, and then Shikamaru sat up in his chair, closing his eyes, and adopting a thinking pose, fingers pressed in a circle. He didn't speak for about a minute, before opening his eyes.

"Well?" Ino asked expectantly, "What's your plan?"

"My plan," Shikamaru said simply, "Is that we stay here."

Ino groaned loudly.

"Look," Shikamaru said, sounding slightly agitated, "It's dark, we're tired and your foot is injured. Even if we _could_ get out of here, which we _can't_," Ino rolled her eyes, but Shikamaru continued, "We wouldn't get anywhere. It makes a lot more sense to wait 'till morning."

"I hate you when you're right," Ino grumbled.

Shikamaru's mouth curled into a smile, "You must hate me all the time then."

"Oh ha ha," Ino laughed sarcastically, before shivering, "God it's freezing. Go find some blankets."

After being in the same team as Ino for four years, Shikamaru was used to being ordered about, "How about you go and find some blankets, and I'll raid the kitchen."

Ino chewed her lip, weighing up the options, before dragging herself to her feet, "Deal."

Shikamaru yawned, and made his way to the door on the left of the room he was currently in. After turning the knob, the door swung open, revealing an incredibly derelict kitchen. The white marble counters were covered in a thin layer of dust he observed, as was the cooker. He walked over to the tiny fridge in the corner, opening it to find nothing inside but a rather mouldy looking cauliflower; he was hungry, but he wasn't _that_ hungry, he told himself before moving onto the cupboards. He opened up the first cupboard; Bare. And the second; also bare. He got to the third cupboard and was almost about to give up when he saw a large Tupperware box at the back of one of the shelves. He lifted it out and pulled off the lid. Inside were various brightly coloured plastic wrappers containing a variety of chocolate and biscuits. He had never had much of a sweet tooth but decided that they would have to do. He heard the sounds of things being thrown about violently in the background, and smiled when they stopped. It sounded like Ino had found the blankets.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Yes, it took quite a long time, and no, it isn't really the Christmas season anymore. But I didn't want to leave it unfinished; I've been quite busy with going back to school and all. Many thanks to Coco-Minu, Misteline, MaiomilovesShikamaru, sad little monkey, Teh k9 & Haley07 for reviewing! And thank you to anyone else who favourited etc. Anyway, on with part 2! I think one more part after this should do it! (:

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Chapter 2

Shikamaru re-entered the living room to find Ino already curled up in a thick fleece cocoon. She gestured to the single, thin, pink blanket that was laying, crumpled, on the floor, "These were all I could find. I hope you don't mind the colour. What'd you find in the kitchen?"

Shikamaru sat down on the floor and pushed the Tupperware box forward to Ino, who happily snatched it up, "There was barely anything in the kitchen," Shikamaru explained as Ino eagerly tore the lid off the box, "I think the people who lived in this house went away. Either that or they-" Shikamaru broke off, "What? What's wrong?"

The way Ino was glancing at the contents of the box, anyone would think it was full of maggots. She picked up a packet of chocolate chip cookies before dropping it back in the box, "I can't eat these," She explained, pushing the box back and shaking her head.

"Why, are they off?" Shikamaru asked, reaching out reluctantly for the pink blanket.

Ino pointed at the biscuits as if accusing them of a crime, "Do you _know_ how many calories are in those things?"

Shikamaru reached out for the packet of bourbons, taking one out and popping it in his mouth. He chewed, and then swallowed, "Good, it's cold, we'll need our energy."

Ino, however, persistent as ever was not having any of it. She crossed her arms beneath her blankets and pouted, "I'm not eating those things."

For as long as Shikamaru had known Ino, she had always been touchy about her weight. Shikamaru had no idea _why_ - she'd never even been slightly chubby, let alone overweight. In fact, he thought, if anything she could do with putting on a few pounds. It must be a girl thing, he reasoned.

"Well, it's either these or a mouldy cauliflower," Shikamaru told Ino, who wrinkled her nose, "Go check in the kitchen, you won't find anything else."

Ino, being Ino, had to go and double check in the kitchen. Shikamaru heard some shuffling about, and the opening and closing of cupboards. After a couple of minutes, Ino traipsed back, and sat down opposite Shikamaru, glancing at the box of biscuits before averting her gaze, "Which one has the least calories?"

Shikamaru couldn't help grinning as he skimmed over the nutritional values of the chocolates and biscuits, "Custard creams," he informed her.

Ino held out her hand, into which Shikamaru dropped the pack. Ino hesitantly reached inside, drawing out a single, slightly crumbled custard cream, and peered at it intently, as if she suspected it would do some kind of party trick.

"Oh for God's sake, just eat it!" Shikamaru moaned, unable to watch the eternal struggle between Ino's mind and her stomach.

"Alright, alright!" Ino took a breath, and placed the treat in her mouth. There was a short silence whilst she chewed. Her neck moved slightly as she swallowed.

"Well?"

"It's disgusting," Ino told him. Shikamaru decided not to point out she was already reaching in the pack for another.

After about an hour and a half had passed, it was nearly pitch black outside and Ino was now onto her third pack of biscuits, all thoughts of calories apparently forgotten. She swallowed the cookie she had been munching for the past minute and wiped the crumbs from her mouth, "So, what do we do now?"

Shikamaru, who had been trying to sleep, despite the loud crunching noises come from his partner, lazily opened one eye, "What?"

"I'm bored," Ino announced, wiggling her toes.

"Well, you know what a good cure for boredom is?" Shikamaru asked, closing his eye again, "Sleep."

Ino clasped her hands together in mock joy,"Oh, you're right that _does_ sound like fun."

"That was sarcasm."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Okay, I've got a game," Shikamaru sat up, looking at Ino who looked slightly confused, "It's called "Shikamaru Gets Some Sleep And Ino Shuts Up For Once"."

Ino apparently, did _not_ like the idea of this game, as Shikamaru discovered when she punched him in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! Alright, alright," Shikamaru said, nursing his bruised arm, "What do you propose we do? There's nothing in this house except for some blankets and rotting vegetables."

"Well we haven't had a proper look around have we?"

"Isn't that like, I dunno, invasion of privacy or something?"

Ino looked at Shikamaru despairingly, "Shika, we've broken into their house, used their blankets, and eaten their biscuits. It's a bit late for that now, don't you think?"

"What are we even looking for?" Shikamaru asked, holding the torch above his head. The light in what appeared to be the bedroom wasn't working, but they had found a torch under one of the pillows.

"I dunno, anything," Ino said, squinting her eyes and closing the draw in the large mahogany chest she had just looked in, "Whatever looks remotely interesting."

There was some shuffling around, "Hey, Ino."

"What?"

"I found a shougi set."

"I said _interesting_," Ino said, to which Shikamaru rolled his eyes before she continued; "You'd think they'd have _something_ here, a diary or a photo album I could snoop through, or something we could actually _use_ or _consume_..."

Ino continued talking, with no end in sight, whilst Shikamaru rustled through the assorted paraphernalia in the large cupboard on the left of the room; boxes of tissues, a few moth eaten scarves, half a snakes and ladders board. It struck Shikamaru that there wasn't a lot _in_ the house; no food, no clothes - most of the light bulbs were blown. At first he had thought the people that were living, or rather that _lived_, in this house had gone on holiday. After all, he couldn't blame them; who wouldn't get sick of twenty-four-seven blizzards? But it seemed rather peculiar that they would have taken absolutely everything with them.

"Hey Ino?"

Ino, who had been constantly rambling (albeit, to a non-existent audience), stopped and turned her head, "What? What did you find."

"Nothing," Shikamaru admitted, predicting yet another eye roll from Ino, "It's just...do you reckon the people that lived in this bungalow, you know, _abandoned_ it?"

Ino snorted, "Who could blame them? It's filthy and, look at this wall!" Ino raised her torch to reveal a patch on the magnolia walls darkened with damp, "The place is practically falling apart. I mean, God, they could have got a _decorator_ or something. What do you call this colour? _Mind-numbing Magnolia_? _Brain-stoppingly Boring Beige_?" Ino was about to continue in her list of alliterations, but realised she was getting no response. She looked in the direction of Shikamaru who was standing perfectly still, torch-hand raised, and looking suspicious. "Are you listening to me?"

"Do you hear that noise?"

Ino narrowed her eyes, and looked around, "What noise?"

"That sort of whining one."

"Oh ha ha, I get it, I'm being annoying."

"No, no, listen."

Ino kept silent for a while, darting her eyes around the room. She raised an eyebrow, "Okay, your marbles are now officially lost. It was probably just the wind."

Ino privately thought that this was quite ironic; usually Shikamaru was the calm, rational one, always telling her she was making a big deal out of nothing. Oh, how captivity changed people.

Shikamaru decided that Ino was probably right - which was a first - and convinced himself it was the wind, and being tired was making him imagine things. Ino gave a theatrical sigh, and declared there was nothing of interest at _all_ in the room, and she would have to resort to sleeping; after all, she added, it _was_ getting quite late and she _did_ need her beauty sleep. If Shikamaru hadn't been so tired, he might have commented that she didn't need beauty sleep, but his mind was currently empty as far as compliments were concerned, his entire brain full with one though; sleep.

Ino shooed Shikamaru out of the bed, insisting that she should have the bed, because she was a lady, and he should be a gentleman and let her have it, and that he could "sleep on the floor, or something". Shikamaru was in no mood to argue, and vacated the premises briskly, but not without stealing one of the pillows; after all, he reasoned, it was only fair. After arranging himself on the floor with said pillow and several blankets, he smiled and closed his eyes. A small part of his mind told him that it wasn't _so bad _being locked up with Ino. After all, there were plenty of people he'd oppose to being locked up with more. The rest of his brain told this part to shut up.

However, his thoughts were soon interrupted by a particularly high-pitched scream coming from the bedroom.

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Reviews are much appreciated! x 


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note**: Uhm, so okay, it's been like a year since I started writing this. Starting a fic that has more than one part when you're about to go into a school year ridden with exams = bad idea. Especially when it's a Christmas fic, that doesn't make sense to do unless it's December. But hey, I found time to continue it. The next part will probably be the last, and I've already written quite a bit of it, so hopefully it will be up within the next week.

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Chapter Three

As Ino plumped up the pillows (or rather, _pillow_, she noticed), she felt a slight pang of guilt. As much as she reasoned that she _was_the girl, and Shikamaru _probably_ would have let her sleep in the bed anyway, she couldn't help but feel bad about making him sleep on the floor. Of course, she didn't really want to sleep on the floor either (she shuddered at what it would do to her back), and they couldn't _share_the bed (Ino's cheeks flushed a little at this thought), but maybe she could find a mattress for him.

Ino reasoned that she had looked practically everywhere in the room already, except for one place; under the bed. She wasn't really too keen on small places, especially when there was no light (the light bulb being blown meant the room was as good as pitch black). But, Ino reached for the torch she had left on the bed, turned it on, and lowered herself to her knees, giving herself a mental pat on the back for doing such a good deed. Torch in her right hand, she lowered her head to see what was in store. She frowned; no mattress here. However, there was _something_ under there. Unfortunately it was just out of reach, and getting it would mean going under the bed.

Now, Ino didn't like the idea of getting dust in her hair (it was a bitch to wash out, she'd learnt), and she didn't particularly like squeezing herself into compact places when it wasn't entirely necessary, but Ino possessed that trait that all humans have; _curiosity_. Ino was very familiar with the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat', however, she reasoned, she was not a cat, and she had no intention of being killed, and was soon on her elbows, like a soldier in an obstacle course, using her free hand to push the initial clutter out of the way to reach the mahogany box hiding behind it. After pushing away a moss-speckled book and a moth eaten shawl, she reached what she wanted. Grabbing it with her right hand (her left occupied with the torch, which had grown considerably dimmer) she backed out from under the double bed, arse first (fortunately, no-one was around to see her less-than-ladylike exit). Sitting up (tucking the stray strands of hair that had escaped from her ponytail during her little expedition behind her ears), she shone the torch on what she had found. After opening the dusty catch on the front of the box, she forced the lid open (the small, rusty hinges creaking in protest), and shone her torch on the contents.

It was rectangular, like the box, and was made of some kind of wood. There seemed to be something written on it, Ino realised, and brought the dim-glowing torch closer to read it - maybe it was a message that would tell her where all the good food was hidden (although, she admitted to herself, it was doubtful). However, it wasn't a message; just the alphabet, and underneath the numbers from zero to nine. Ino's eyes widened; she'd heard of these before. What _were_they called again? Ino racked her brain...that was it!

_An Ouija board..._

From what Ino could remember, some people used them to connect with the dead. She remembered being told stories about them on Halloween - supposedly if you used an Ouija board, you'd be cursed for the rest of your life. Goosebumps appeared on her arm, but she shook her head; she didn't believe in that kind of stuff! Smiling slightly as if to convince herself that she was just being silly, she decided to get rid of the box and think nothing more of it. However, this little idea didn't exactly go to plan. Ino suddenly became aware of a quiet whirring noise, but she couldn't figure out where it was coming from. She looked around hastily, finding nothing. Ino felt her heartbeat quicken; unfortunately, the battery in her torch saw this as a good time to run out, leaving her in complete darkness. The whirring noise got louder, and Ino could now hear her own heartbeat, quicker and louder than it had been before.

Then something knocked on the window of the room. Ino screamed.

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When he heard the scream and saw the bedroom door fling open, Shikamaru was holding up a kunai, ready to fight whatever came out of the room. However, what came out was a flurry of purple and blonde, screaming its head off, and clinging to him; it, of course, was Ino.

"Ino, what's in there?" Shikamaru asked, instantly wishing he hadn't, as Ino launched into an explanation, speaking at light speed.

"Oh Shikamaru you were right there _was_ a noise and then I went to find a mattress for you because I'm such a wonderful person, so I looked under the bed but I found a Ouija board instead, and then something banged on the window, and I bet whoever lived here _did_abandon it because it's haunted," Ino stopped for a second to catch her breath, "and now my hair's messed up, and there's something in there and I don't know what it is." She drew out the last word, which wavered slightly, making her sound as if she was about to burst into tears.

Shikamaru hadn't _exactly_understood all of what she had said, but didn't really want to go to the trouble of asking her to repeat herself; besides, he had got the gist (or, at least, he was pretty sure he had). Ino let out a whimper, "We're stuck in a haunted house with an angry ghost and no way of escape. I'm too young and beautiful to die."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and tried to pry Ino's fingers from his shoulders; however, they appeared to be stuck like limpets and it didn't seem like they would come off without being surgically removed. It wasn't that he _objected_ to this new closeness, he noted, going slightly pink; it was just that one finds it hard to _do_ _anything_with another person attached to one's self, "We're not going to _die, _idiot."

"B-but the ghost!" Ino protested.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Well, I don't _really_ know what you're really expecting me to do with your fingernails _digging into my shoulder blade._"

Ino blushed a little and let go, laughing sheepishly, "Sorry about that."

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his shoulders, positive that they were now red underneath his black polo-neck. He placed a hand on his forehead, shaking his head, "You know Ino, I really did think you were smarter than to believe in all of this ghost story stuff."

Ino's brain decided to ignore the complimentary part of Shikamaru's statement, and narrowed her eyes, "Well, that's easy for _you_ to say. You're not an innocent girl; it's probably the ghost of a bitter old man who was left by the love of his life, and now he's lusting after young, female flesh," She told him in a matter-of-fact sort of tone, as if what she was saying was _obvious_, "and don't try and tell me I'm imagining things, Shikamaru, because you heard that wailing noise before me. And anyway," Shikamaru opened his mouth to interrupt, by Ino was having none of it and continued with her little speech, "If you don't believe there's a ghost in there then it won't hurt you to go and have a look, will it?" She ended her declamation with a smug smile; she was obviously pleased with her reasoning. Shikamaru had to admit, she did have a point - he _had_ heard the noise. And, although he was sure there wasn't a _ghost_in the bedroom, he was also pretty sure Ino wouldn't let this drop, and if checking out the bedroom meant she'd shut up, then check out the bedroom he would.

"Alright, alright, I'll check to see what's there," he said, throwing up his hands in defeat and walking towards the door. However, before he got there, he turned around to face Ino, "Seriously though, "lusting after female flesh"? What have you been reading lately?" Ino shrugged nonchalantly, although the corners of her mouth had twisted slightly into a sheepish smile. Shikamaru shook his head again; she really did have a pretty vivid imagination.

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Reviewing is nice. Just sayin'.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**Okay guys, for some reason this got like, rediculously long. It was only ever meant to be about three pieces, but it's somehow turned to five. I've finished Chapter 5, and it'll be up in about an hour. And guess what, everyone? It snowed where I live today. A clear sign that this fic is still relevant (at least, for the next few days).  
Also, if you reviewed, I love youuuuu.

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Chapter Four

"So, what's your plan?"  
Shikamaru had found that he was hearing this phrase rather often. He turned his attention away from the door he was facing, and looked at Ino, who was biting her finger nail, "My plan," he told her, "Is to go in, prove that there is no ghost, and therefore prove that you're wrong. Then, I'm hoping, I'll actually get some sleep."

Ino's hands flew to her hips, "Well _sorry_for worrying about out safety," she snapped. After a moment's hesitation, the look on her face faded, and she spoke again, her tone much softer, "Shikamaru, I wanted to tell you something, just in case you get eaten by the ghost."  
Shikamaru gave a snort of laughter, wondering how she could say something so stupid and look so serious. Still, she did look rather sincere, so he decided to give her a chance, "Yeah, what is it?"  
"Well," Ino said, sounding as if what she was about to say was really difficult, "I just wanted to let you know, I'm really glad you started wearing that black jumper, because that mesh thing you used to wear was really hideous."  
For a few seconds, everything was completely silent, "So," Shikamaru began, talking slowly, "Let me get this straight; you think I might die, so your last words to me are insulting my fashion sense?"  
Ino looked insulted. "No! That was a compliment! It was really hard for me to say something nice about you," she said, crossing her arms.

Shikamaru shook his head, and turned his attention back to the door. Best to get this over with; after all, even if there was something in the abandoned bedroom, he was pretty sure that he could handle it (after putting up with Ino for however many hours he had, he was pretty sure that he could do anything). He picked up his torch (the only torch now, seeing as Ino's was broken), and placed his other hand on the door knob. Slowly, he turned, and pushed. The door flung open to reveal...well, nothing. He breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't know how he'd ever forget being proven wrong by _Ino,_ "See, I told you there was nothing in there."  
"Well, it's obviously going to be hiding," Ino told him, walking up to him and gingerly pushing him into the room, apparently to scared to go near it herself. Shikamaru suddenly got the unnerving feeling that he wasn't going to be allowed to sleep until he'd found and disposed of the ghost, which, seeing as said ghost _did not exist_, would be pretty difficult. He took a few steps inside the room, before realising that he wasn't being followed, "Aren't you coming?"  
Ino took the nail that she had been biting out of her mouth (a clear sign of fear - Ino _never_ bit her nails, in fear of messing up the shape she had perfected with hours of filing), "Are you kidding? Why would I go inside a room with a ghost! That's suicide!"  
Shikamaru frowned; someone really needed to give this girl lessons on how to make people feel better. Anyway, if he was going to be forced to search a room for a non-existent paranormal phenomenon, then he was dragging her with him, "Fine," he said finally, shrugging, "but don't blame me if the ghost flies past me and you have no one to protect you." A small squeal later and Ino was standing behind him, peering nervously over his shoulder.  
"Okay, so if you were a ghost, where would you hide?"

Shikamaru was _about_to retort that if he was ghost, then he wouldn't hide, so as to make it easier for whoever was looking for him to find him, when the room was filled with a familiar whirring sound. Shikamaru turned around to face Ino to ask her if she could hear it, but she was muttering, "I told you, I told you," repetitively under her breath, so he took that as a yes. Inside Ino's head, the small consolation that she may have proved Shikamaru wrong for once was currently being ignored, as all her mind could currently focus on was the fact that she was going to die. In a bungalow. On _Christmas_. Surely, this was the worst situation anyone in the universe had ever been in, and she was about to open her mouth to yell at Shikamaru (party for shining the torch in her eyes, and partly because when something is wrong, someone has to take the blame, and it couldn't be _her_fault that she was in this predicament), when she noticed that he was standing quite still, mouth wide open, and eyes looking directly above her head. Ino felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Despite telling herself that turning around wouldn't help at all, she slowly turned her neck to look behind her.

She was met with magnolia.

Wait, magnolia? Wasn't that the colour of the walls? She heard throaty chuckling coming from the only other person in the room, and whipped round to face him, eyes ablaze, "What are you doing?" She screeched, ineffectually slapping him on the shoulder several times. He continued laughing, stopping only to muster, "I'm sorry Ino, but I couldn't help it. Your face was priceless."  
Before Ino could inform Shikamaru that after _she_ was done with him, _his_ face would be _worthless_, something banged very loudly on the window. Both of the bungalow's inhabitants panicked, and tried to run out of the room - in different directions. This little endeavour was unsurprisingly unsuccessful, and resulted in Ino tripping, and flying towards the wall on the other side of the room. Shikamaru hastily picked up the torch he had dropped on the floor, and shined it in her direction, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Said Ino, although her face was twisted in pain. She pulled herself off the wall, muttering, "What the hell was- hey!"  
"What is it?" asked Shikamaru, walking towards her. She was staring at the wall she'd just hit with a look of utter confusion. Shikamaru shone his torch in the direction of where she was staring, and found himself gaping like a fish out of water.

"A door knob? How did we miss that?" he asked incredulously.  
"I know, right?" Ino was tracing the outline of the door frame with her hands, "It looks like the door's behind this bookshelf. Help me move it."

After moving the bookshelf a sufficient amount (although, Ino had to admit, it was mainly Shikamaru's work - she'd just been touching the shelf and breathing deeply), the pair stood back and looked at the door, wondering what was inside. Blankets, possibly, food, hopefully. Shikamaru gave Ino the pleasure of opening the door, which she did, in one swift motion. There was a piece of string hanging from the ceiling, which Ino pulled instinctively, thinking it would turn the light to the small room on, which it did. However, the content of the room was neither food nor blanket. The light revealed one thing, and one thing only; a large, dusty boiler, making a loud whirring noise.  
"Well," Said Shikamaru, trying and failing to hide the smugness from his voice, "I think we found your ghost."

Ino, however, didn't seem particularly disheartened; in fact, she was grinning, "If there's a boiler, then that means there's hot water, and if there's hot water..." Ino had ventured inside the room, leaving Shikamaru only her voice to listen to. That, and a few seconds later, a squeal of glee. Shikamaru decided to follow her steps into the room to see what has spurred this little outburst. Inside the room, Shikamaru saw that there was another door, which had been opened, and beyond that...  
"A shower," breathed Ino, eyes almost sparkling in awe, "Finally, something good happens! Now I can have a nice, warm, sh-"  
"Whoa, hold on a second," Shikamaru interrupted her, and raised an eyebrow, "Who said you're going first?"  
"Wha-" Ino seemed genuinely confused, as if she hadn't thought of this eventuality.  
"I was the one made to sleep on the floor, not that I got much sleep," Shikamaru continued, in a bored drawl, "I was the one who had to check the bedroom for a ghost, _that didn't exist_. Don't you think I've earned first-one-in-the-shower privileges?"

Ino, didn't think so, apparently, but all she could muster was small half murmurs of "B-but I-"  
"Tell you what. If you can admit that I was right, and that ghosts don't exist, then you can go in the shower first."  
This seemed to snap Ino back into action. She did _not_ like to be proved wrong, "We haven't explained the banging on the window yet!" She challenged, "There could still be a ghost!"  
Shikamaru led her to the small, frozen window in question, and shone his torch on it. Outside, the outline of a leafless tree was revealed, whose branches were promptly swept by the wind, and banged on the window. Ino jumped a little, "Oh."  
After a very long pause, she gave a sigh of defeat, "Fine, you were right, I was wrong." Shikamaru just smirked in reply.

* * *

I have a thing for anti-climaxes.  
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...a review. Follow in their footsteps? :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hey ho, here's part five. It's finally finished. Bawww, I'm going to miss this fic.  
Anyone who reviewed, etc. I love you so hard. It makes my day when I get home and find emails from fanfiction letting me know that someone actually read my story.  
Hope you all had a fantabulous Christmas and a great New Year. My New Year's resolution is obviously to write more, as I am quite clearly the laziest human to grace the planet. Ever.

* * *

Chapter Five

Shikamaru sat with his back to the door to the shower room, which was open just enough to let the steam from the shower drift through, and place beads of pleasantly warm condensation on his face. "You know," he called behind him, to the girl in the shower, "I don't think you've ever given me a proper Christmas present."  
"What are you talking about?" came the disembodied reply, muffled slightly by the sound of water hitting the shower floor, "I give great Christmas presents!"  
"No, Ino, I'm pretty sure for the last couple of years you've me a stick of gum and a hug."  
"Well you just gave me some pieces of wood last year!" Ino called back.  
Shikamaru's eyebrows knotted together for a brief moment, trying to figure out what she was talking about, "No, Ino, those were pencils."  
"Whatever."

For a moment, the only noise was that of running water. "So what did you want this year?" Shikamaru asked.  
"I'll tell you what I didn't want," Ino replied, laughing a little, "I didn't want to be stuck in a bungalow with a mouldy cauliflower."  
"Yeah, I didn't really want to be hunting fake ghosts."  
A giggle came from the shower, "Well, at least I got a white Christmas this way. I've always wanted one."  
"Yeah," Shikamaru closed his eyes, and soaked up the warmth around him, "I guess it wasn't all bad. At least I still got to spend Christmas with someone I care about."  
An awkward silence hung in the air, which was emphasised when the sound of water stopped. A moment later, Ino stepped out of the room, walking gingerly back to the bedroom, only stopping to pick up the heap of clothes she had left on the floor. "Alright, your turn."

As Ino got re-dressed, she mulled over Shikamaru's comment in her head. He cared about her? It made sense, she guessed - they'd known each other since they were born, (their families were close, after all, and Shikamaru had only been born one day before her), and they'd been friends and teammates for ages, but still, she'd never expected him to say something like that out loud. Fully dressed, she crawled onto the bed in the middle of the room, and curled up. What he'd said had been almost sweet. She was slightly confused - Shikamaru was a lot of things; sweet was not one of them. Still, she thought, what he'd said had been true - there were plenty of people she'd have liked to spend Christmas with less than him.  
Maybe this Christmas hadn't been so bad after all, Ino thought, as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Ino batted her eyes open the next morning, it occurred to her that she was waking up, and therefore she must have fallen asleep. She propped herself up on her arms and arched her back, trying to get rid of the rigidness that sleep brought. She hated falling asleep without realising it. After tying up her hair (which she had left loose last night, due to tiredness), she opened the door of the bedroom, and walked into the large room that occupied most of the bungalow. There, sitting on the single wooden chair, was Shikamaru, smoking a cigarette.

"You shouldn't smoke inside," Ino told him, yawning and rubbing her eyes.  
"Sorry," Shikamaru said, blowing a wisp of smoke into the air, "I was going to wait 'till we got outside, but I thought you'd never wake up."  
Ino laughed sarcastically, and yawned again.  
"Merry Christmas, by the way."  
For a moment, Ino was quite confused. Then she remembered where she was, and that it had been Christmas Eve last night.  
"Oh yeah, you too," she said sleepily, walking up to him, arms outstretched, "Guess I better give you your annual festive hug, huh?  
"Yeah," said Shikamaru, wrapping his arms lazily around her waist, paying attention not to set her hair on fire, "Wouldn't want to break tradition."  
Ino inhaled into his shoulder. He smelt like burning. "Right," she said after a few seconds, letting go of his shoulders, "let's give this door another try."

After rattling the doorknob a few times, the door clicked, and swung open. Outside, everything was covered in a veil of white, but, thankfully, it didn't seem to be snowing anymore. Shikamaru stepped outside, and took a deep drag from his cigarette, "We better get moving before the snow starts up again."  
Ino took two steps before stopping abruptly, "Wait, I forgot something!"  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and yelled, "Hurry up!" as she ran back into the bedroom. A few moments later, she reappeared.  
"Right," she announced, stepping out into the cold, "let's get going."  
Shikamaru nodded, "You've got the antidote, right?"  
"Yeah," Ino confirmed, her hot breath showing in the cold air, as she patted the small pouch on the side of her leg.  
And with that, they set off home, making jokes about non-existent ghosts, mouldy cauliflowers, tiny windows, and horridly calorific custard creams.

* * *

When the couple who owned the bungalow arrived back home from their holiday a few weeks later, they were quite shocked to find that their box of biscuits was completely empty. Not only that, but the shelf that they had put in front of the boiler room door (which they'd hoped to decide a better location for upon returning) had been moved quite a distance. The bed covers, which were usually fastidiously tucked into the mattress, had been cast on the floor. The woman glanced at her husband, "What do you think happened?"  
Her husband, however, was peering at a small piece of paper. The woman walked up behind him, and read over his shoulder;  
_"I didn't really want to stay here this Christmas,__  
__but it turned out to be alright.__  
__Thanks for letting us stay.__  
__P.S. Sorry for eating all of the custard creams."_  
On the bottom right hand corner were three small 'x's.  
The woman looked at her husband with wide eyes, "Do you think it could have...been a ghost?"  
Her husband laughed and told her not to be stupid.

* * *

Review?


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